The Roman Catholic Church of the High Middle Ages Essay Example
The Roman Catholic Church Of the High Middle Ages
The middle ages are dated to be around the 5th to 15th century. This time was characterized by hierarchies, chivalry, church rule, trade, manorialism and feudalism. This society was highly ordered with a sense of duty. One of the major components of the High Middle Ages was the rise of the church as a secular power which is dated to be around 11th -14th century (Perry 227). The church became a power that dominated the lives every person whether they were a serf or a king. The Roman Catholic Church controlled religion, politics, education, art, morals and wars. There were many instances which displayed the good holy powers of the church and others which captured its deceitful corruption. It is often debated whether the church was corrupt when analyzing its beliefs, actions and impacts on the lives of people. Christianity became the official religion of the Roman Empire under the reign of the Roman Emperor Constantine I (Perry 161-62). The Christian Church became more powerful during the 5th century when the Roman Empire began to crumble, Germanic tribes started to conquer and eventually capture the city of Rome. This period is referred to as the Dark Ages. During this time the church took on the responsibility to protect, lead, establish laws and hold the people together. The church gained power and took control like a political system would have.
The infallibility of the Pope began to be recognized by the Roman Catholic Church as it started to developed its own laws, control many lands, and taxes. This allowed the church to become very wealthy, maintain power and function like a king. The position of Pope became a position associated with power. Gregory the great (6th century) declared himself “the servant of servants.” Later, Gregory VII (11th century) believed that he was a Vicar of Christ and everyone was to recognize him as Christ’s representative on earth (Perry 240). Innocent III also took the same
The middle ages are dated to be around the 5th to 15th century. This time was characterized by hierarchies, chivalry, church rule, trade, manorialism and feudalism. This society was highly ordered with a sense of duty. One of the major components of the High Middle Ages was the rise of the church as a secular power which is dated to be around 11th -14th century (Perry 227). The church became a power that dominated the lives every person whether they were a serf or a king. The Roman Catholic Church controlled religion, politics, education, art, morals and wars. There were many instances which displayed the good holy powers of the church and others which captured its deceitful corruption. It is often debated whether the church was corrupt when analyzing its beliefs, actions and impacts on the lives of people. Christianity became the official religion of the Roman Empire under the reign of the Roman Emperor Constantine I (Perry 161-62). The Christian Church became more powerful during the 5th century when the Roman Empire began to crumble, Germanic tribes started to conquer and eventually capture the city of Rome. This period is referred to as the Dark Ages. During this time the church took on the responsibility to protect, lead, establish laws and hold the people together. The church gained power and took control like a political system would have.
The infallibility of the Pope began to be recognized by the Roman Catholic Church as it started to developed its own laws, control many lands, and taxes. This allowed the church to become very wealthy, maintain power and function like a king. The position of Pope became a position associated with power. Gregory the great (6th century) declared himself “the servant of servants.” Later, Gregory VII (11th century) believed that he was a Vicar of Christ and everyone was to recognize him as Christ’s representative on earth (Perry 240). Innocent III also took the same